The End And Then The Begnning
by JENTWCSINYFAN2
Summary: I wanted or have been thinking about a Tony and Kate story for a little while now. TheGinaBrewer has been listening to my thoughts on this. there is a character death of Tony so this is going to be mainly done in flashback form . Also Tony and Kate have a teenage daughter named Tara who is also going through her fathers death in the line of duty .
1. Chapter 1

Everytime she got into bed she thought about him. The lopsided smile he would give her when she looked at him when he wore jeans. She still couldn't take his blanket off of the side opposite hers even though it had seen better days and the lettering on it was getting really faded. He had loved that. Just about as much as the threadbare brown small bear toy that was under his pillow. Only she knew why he had kept it for so long. His one thing from his mother who had been taken from him far too young. Her Tony, with the side only she had seen. The softer let me make you some hot chocolate on a cold evening one. She lifted up an old robe off the foot of the bed and pulled it on over her cornflower blue nightgown as she pulled the blankets down to get into bed. Their daughter was staying with a friend of hers for the weekend. Tara had a few friends but they didn't often have sleepovers these days. It was mostly brownies with chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream in Kate's kitchen after school now.

Kate found what she liked to hug before she fell asleep in the usual drawer. One of his old shirts that he had worn to work . She loved the feel of the gray material. It was soft to the touch . She held it in her arms and turned the light off as her body relaxed into sleep. Sometimes it felt like he was there even though she knew where he really was.

They should have been here together now. But it wasn't to be. Sometimes she thought about NCIS and the old days. The hole in his baseball cap always made her laugh. How he had loved that at one time. She smiled as she remembered the moment in dreams.


	2. Six months before

Six months before

It was Monday morning. Tara Rachel Dinozzo had been fighting with a cold all weekend so Tony decided to take a day and keep an eye on her. Sometimes Mondays were just paperwork days anyway so he dialed Gibbs' number while pouring himself some freshly brewed coffee. " Hey Gibbs Tara has been fighting a cold since the weekend so I am going to take a day and stay home with her while she rests."

" I'm being careful. I have my meds and my inhaler in the house if I would need them. Kate already left for work. She really likes it at the FBI. They are letting her learn more profiling which she's excited about and Fornell has a good team who watches her back."

". I was just going to make some wedding soup for Tara . She's in bed and I'm sure one of her friends will bring her homework by later. I'll let you know how she feels. Thanks boss." Then he hung up the phone and had some more of his coffee.

He heard footsteps coming down the hall and saw his daughter looking pale except for her nose which was pink and irritated looking . She had on an older hoodie of Tony's that had NCIS in blue lettering against a gray background. A rumpled tissue was in her hand and she sniffled into it.

" Still feeling lousy pumpkin?" Tony asked.

" Yeah Dad I cant breathe through my nose.", Tara replied.

" Well why don't we get you some juice and some breakfast and then I'll start a batch of wedding soup to see if that doesn't work on those sniffles okay?"

" All right , you're not working today?"

" No I wanted to help you feel better. I guess I need to call the school and report you absent today."

" Yeah. I'll get my juice and then go hang out on the couch . I'm sure Zeus will wonder why I'm home."

" Good idea you can put on a movie . If you feel better later you can let him out in the dog run for a while. Since it rained yesterday he will be ready to go."

" Okay, he's. such a good dog ."

" Yes he is."

Tara got her juice and then went to get comfortable on the big living room couch with it while Tony called her school and then started on breakfast for his daughter. She liked pancakes when she didn't feel well so he mixed up a batch with a few chocolate chips.

Zeus was a German Shepherd mix that Tony has found on the street while working a case. It had been a cold night so Tony had taken him home and then couldn't take him to the animal rescue near their home. He was good protection when Tony worked late on a case and seemed to like to curl up on Tara's bed. So the dog had become family quickly. Kate spoiled him with new toys now and then.

Tony finished Tara's pancakes and then started on the wedding soup while taking her breakfast into her on a tray. He knew Kate would be calling to check in on her later . He took a bite of a pancake that was on his own plate and cleaned his glasses off for a moment. Some days he wore them when he didn't feel like messing with contacts. Kate liked him that way. It reminded her of when they had first met.


End file.
